1. On February 22, 1739, the Spanish explorer and governor of New Mexico, Don Francisco Trebol Navarro, established the town of Albuquerque, which would later become one of the largest cities in the state.

2. The infamous Lincoln County War, a conflict between rival factions of cattle ranchers and feuding merchants in the late 1800s, reached a turning point on February 22, 1878. The posse led by Sheriff William Brady was ambushed and killed, leading to a brutal retaliatory campaign by the lawman's allies.

3. In 1902, the Iatan Solar Power plant, the first solar thermal power plant in the United States, was opened in Gallup, New Mexico. The plant generated energy by using mirrors to reflect sunlight onto a boiler, and operated until 1914.

4. On February 22, 1924, the New Mexico State Fair Commission elected its first female secretary, Miss Nellie G. Brown. Brown had worked for the organization since its inception and would go on to play a major role in its growth and success over the next several decades.

5. In 1980, a New Mexico National Guard helicopter crashed in the Gila Wilderness, killing all seven crew members aboard. The crash was attributed to bad weather conditions, and the resulting tragedy led to improved safety measures for search and rescue missions in the state's rugged wilderness areas.